


Sensing

by NitroJen



Series: Mutants Verse [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Alternate Universe-No Capes, Fluff, M/M, Philanthropist!Dick, Professor!Jason, heavy xmen influences, mutant verse, wing!fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 18:46:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9916130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NitroJen/pseuds/NitroJen
Summary: Jason loves what he gets to do every day. He gets to teach mutant studies, spend time with his amazing boyfriend, and go out in the world to make sure change really happens. On the days where all of this happens at once, Jason's senses can get a bit overloaded, but Dick is always there to help.





	

“There are issues in lower class and upper class mutant households,” Jason said. “But they’re extremely different. In the lower class areas, you see a need for support for all mutation types, physical, mental, it doesn’t matter. That’s why we need mutant support centers in those areas, people need to have a place where they can go when they need support. Our youth especially. We see so many incidents of families who give their children too many suppressants and when they can’t afford them anymore, the child’s mutation has grown to the point where they can barely control it. 

“Then there’s the upper class,” Jason told the cameraman and producer in front of him. “They can afford all the support they need, they have nice, well funded community centers, and they can even afford suppressants if they want to use them. The problem with the upper class though is the glamorization of mutations that they find attractive and the stigmatization of other traits. A mutant in the upper class is expected to have traits that are aesthetically pleasing and not too powerful. The mutant in the upper class still can’t be seen as a threat otherwise non mutants will get uncomfortable. Do they have privilege? Yes, but many mutant children in the upper class are sent away if they don’t have desirable mutations.”

“Alright,” the producer said with a smile. “I think that’s all we need today. Thank you again Mr. Todd, it’s always a pleasure to speak to you.”

“Of course,” Jason said as he stood and shook the man’s hand. Things were a bit cramped in his small office with three people packed inside, but Jason’s office is the ideal place for interviews. There are bookshelves lined with texts on mutant history and mutant rights, some of Jason’s books included. His desk is clean and free of clutter and the window provided a beautiful view of Gotham University’s campus. It’s been the background for many interviews. 

Jason showed the men out and sat down at his desk, he opened his laptop and went over his schedule for the rest of the day. He had office hours until four and then he had to go to his apartment and attempt to grade as many papers as he could before going out to what felt like the millionth gala this week. They’re in the throes of gala season and Jason should have known that having a philanthropist as a boyfriend meant twice the galas. It felt like his suits were always being dry cleaned or waiting to be dry cleaned and he was starting to get tired of champagne and hors d’oeuvres. 

He sent a quick text to Dick telling him the interview went well and looked fondly at the picture of Dick and the small decorative feathers next to it. A year ago, that spot on his desk had been empty, but now, seeing what it had become brought warmth to his chest.  Jason sighed as he started working on the pile of papers. If doing all this meant he’d get to fall asleep next to Dick tonight, Jason would power through. 

Later that evening, Jason rummaged through their closet, “I’ll be fine if I don’t wear a tux, right?” Jason asked as he leaned out of the closet. 

“Yeah,” Dick said from where he was choosing a pair of cufflinks. “Wear the blue tie, it’s my favorite.”

“All the blue ties that match your feathers are your favorites,” Jason said as he went over to the ties, trying to decide which one to wear. Dick was wearing a light blue tie so Jason went with one that was a few shades darker. 

“I like it when we match,” Dick said, looking Jason over when Jason stepped into the bedroom. “Ooh, a full windsor, I see we’re feeling vivacious tonight.”

“Nothing but the best for…” Jason trailed off not sure if this event was for Gotham’s children, a new animal shelter, or funding for the art center in midtown. 

“The Mutant Coalition for Mutant Child Services,” Dick said. “Bruce helped fund them when he saw how child services for mutant children were virtually non existent.”

“Are you on the board of that one?” Jason asked as he went over to the dresser and took the cufflinks Dick handed him, threading them through Dick’s cuffs. 

“Yeah,” Dick said. “I was never in their care, but who knows what would have happened if I’d ended up under the state’s care with my mutation.” 

“Either scientists studying environmental causes for mutations or a rich family wanting something pretty would be my guess,” Jason said. Dick reached for the second pair of cufflinks but bumped them, knocking them off the dresser. Jason caught them without thinking and set them back down. 

“Yeah we’re seeing a lot of that now,” Dick said. “We’re trying to set some guidelines so it becomes less of a trend to pick up a mutant child as a conversation piece. To think I could have ended up like that.”

“Instead you ended up with Bruce Wayne,” Jason said. 

“Yeah,” Dick sighed. “He wasn’t great, but at least he made sure I got a good education. Preen my wings before we go?” 

“Of course, Pretty Bird,” Jason said as he kissed Dick’s cheeks. He sat down on the bed and grabbed the wing oil rubbing it over Dick’s feathers making sure they were all pristine and in place. Dick leaned heavily against him while they did it. Preening Dick’s feathers was one of the things that always helped both of them relax after a long day. They did it before going to events and sometimes they would just be sitting there and Jason would start preening. 

“You know, I don’t think my feathers have ever looked this good,” Dick commented when Jason was done, moving up the bed a bit to lean against Jason’s side. 

“You deserve to have someone pamper you,” Jason said as he pressed his face to Dick’s shoulder, closing his eyes. He was beginning the process of mentally preparing himself for the drive over to the gala and the gala itself. After a long day, Jason knew he was getting almost dangerously close to a sensory overload.

“You okay?” Dick asked, gently carding his fingers through Jason’s hair. 

“Yeah, just a long day,” Jason told him. 

“We can stay here if you want,” Dick offered. He wanted nothing more than to stay here with Dick, but the gala was important for both of them.

Jason shook his head, “No, I can make it through the event,” he straightened up and ran a hand through his hair, all too aware of the skeptical look Dick was giving him. “Come on, let’s go.”

The event was beautiful as always, held in one of the ballrooms at one of the nicest hotels in Gotham. As soon as they stepped out of the car, handing the keys to the valet, they were met with bright flashbulbs and photographers and journalists shouting questions at them. Dick shielded them both with his wings so Jason wouldn’t have to hide his grimace. 

They stepped into the hotel, sound echoing off the marble floors and high ceilings. There was a water feature in the lobby and the sound of the water would have been soothing if it hadn’t been combined with so many other sounds. 

The ballroom was quieter, but as soon as they stepped inside, everybody turned to them. Jason and Dick hadn’t had to formally announce that they were dating, but the press still had a field day with it. They were seen as not only a power couple in Gotham, but they were seen as an ideal mutant couple around the world. Their relationship was a beautiful combination: Dick the philanthropist with a physical mutation, and Jason, the mutant rights activist author with a mental mutation, it drew people in. There were seen as two sides of the same coin and mutants all over the world looked up to them. 

The wonderful thing about it was that it didn’t feel like it put any pressure on their relationship. They had a level of fame, but it was the quiet kind that allowed them to live their everyday lives in relative peace. To get that peace though, they needed to make appearances at galas and events, Jason had to do interviews, and sometimes all these things happened on the same day. 

Someone handed them both glasses of champagne and they started making their way through the room together, catching up with Gotham’s elite. Jason wasn’t as popular as Dick was at some of these events. Jason spoke out against the upper class on their treatment of mutants quite often and sometimes that meant the gala goers Jason had to interact with took offense. Dick had a way of stepping in and calming things down between Jason and his biggest naysayers. 

Jason let Dick do most of the talking, exhaustion wearing down on him and unable to really focus when there were so many things going on in the room that put his senses in overdrive. Dick was one of the first people that had really understood the way Jason’s mind worked. Dick had a decent amount of avian physiology which left him unable to relax sometimes, he’d been able to recognize the signs of Jason growing tired when his mutation grated on him and he knew how to get Jason’s mind and mutation to slow down. 

At one point during a conversation, Dick’s feather’s puffed up. It was a reaction that only meant one thing in public and he and Dick both turned to address the person that decided they wanted to touch Dick Grayson’s wings. 

“Can I help you?” Dick asked, he had a smile on his face, but Jason could see the tightness in it as he turned to the couple, a man’s hand still hanging in the air where Dick’s wing had once been. 

“I’m sorry,” the man apologized. “My wife here wasn’t sure they reacted like real wings do, so I wanted to show her they did. Poor thing thought they were just ornamental.”   


The man’s wife was flushing a bright red as the man tried to smile at them like it was her mistake. Jason could tell the man was lying and Dick shifted as he looked them over. 

“They’re very real, very functional wings,” Dick said. “And I can feel it when you touch them. Would you like it if I just reached out and touched your hair without asking permission?”   


Dick spoke to the man like he was scolding a child which made the interaction even better. Jason wrapped an arm around Dick’s waist and held him close. 

“Some people’s mutations are very intimate,” Dick told him, a small group of people watching the interaction with interest. “Or they can be harmful if you touch them because they’re defense mechanisms. You should approach touching a mutant’s physical mutations the same way you would approach touching a complete stranger in an intimate place without their permission. You run the risk of getting yourself hurt and causing them a lot of discomfort.”

A few people around Dick clapped while the man stuttered an apology. Dick’s wings remained puffed up as Jason brought Dick to a quieter part of the ballroom. Dick was still flustered, but Jason whispered calming things in his ear, resisting the urge to stroke his feathers. He knew it would help calm Dick down more, but in a public place like this, it would only encourage people that thought it was okay to touch his wings. 

People gave them space, and when they started circulating around the room again, people commended Dick for his bravery in speaking out against being mistreated. A few people reached out to touch his wings, but Jason allowed his reflexes to take over and batted their hands away. 

Jason felt himself fading as the night progressed, his brain working too hard to catch up with everything in the room. It was working against his exhaustion and it took Dick three tries to get his attention. 

“Hey, Jay, Littlewing?” Dick said as he encircled Jason with his wings, blocking out the sights and noise enough for Jason to focus on him. “You okay?”

Jason just shook his head and Dick nodded in understanding. 

“Give me the car keys,” Dick said. “I’ll drive us home.”

Dick kept Jason secured in his wings as they left the hotel, blocking him from the sight of the cameras. In the car, Jason curled up in the backseat, closing his eyes and shielding himself from everything with Dick’s blazer. They sat in silence in the parking garage until Jason was able to force himself to move and get out of the car, Dick’s arm and wings wrapped around him the entire way. 

Dick helped Jason undress and helped him into bed, Jason curled up under the blankets, but he still heard the faint noise of traffic outside and the louder sounds of Dick undressing. Cufflinks landing on the dresser, the sound of cloth against skin, cloth against cloth, soft footsteps on the carpet and the click of the lights being turned off. Jason heard the bed move under Dick’s weight as Dick climbed under the blankets. 

Dick gathered Jason in his arms and Jason felt Dick’s feathers move over his skin as he wrapped Jason up in his wings, pulling him close and grabbing his hand, allowing Jason to hold on as tightly as he wanted. It took Jason a decent amount of time to relax and a bit longer to fall asleep after that, but Dick was there with him the whole time, never triggering his reflexes, stable when Jason needed him to be. 

**Author's Note:**

> I really like this verse so I decided to continue messing around with it.


End file.
